Overview & Reviews

BMW is an acronym for Bayerische Motoren Werke AG -- or, in English, Bavarian Motor Works. Whatever you call it, the German-based company is one of the world's most respected automakers, renowned for crafting luxury cars and SUVs that offer superior levels of driving enjoyment.

Founded in Munich, the company began in the early 1910s as an aircraft manufacturer. BMW's current logo, designed to represent white propeller blades against a blue sky, reflects these origins; its blue-and-white color scheme also references Bavaria's blue-and-white checkered flag.

It wasn't until 1928 that production began on the first BMW automobile, the Dixi. The car proved tremendously popular, and its success helped the manufacturer weather the Depression. BMW's best-known pre-World War II vehicle was the Type 328 roadster, a supple two-seater that racked up more than 120 victories on the motorsport circuit between 1936 and 1940. Postwar BMW cars maintained this tradition, with several racing, rallying and hill climb victories.

The early 1950s saw the launch of the BMW 501, a roomy, voluptuous sedan that was resplendent with all of the hopefulness of that era. It was soon followed by the 502, which was powered by the world's first light-alloy V8, foreshadowing BMW's ongoing commitment to developing new technology. The best-selling BMW of that decade was the Isetta, a petite two-seat "microcar" typically powered by a 12- or 13-horsepower engine. The mid-'50s also saw the debut of the limited production and breathtakingly beautiful 507 sports car, which had an alloy body and used the 502's V8 for propulsion. In the 1960s, BMW sales strengthened significantly, thanks in part to the immense popularity of the 1500, a sporty family sedan.

By the 1970s, BMW was establishing itself as a full-fledged car company. It was a pioneer for many emerging technologies, including turbocharging and advanced vehicle electronics. BMW of North America was established at that time, and consumers who coveted both sports and luxury cars became loyal "Bimmer" owners. The '70s also saw the birth of BMW's three-tier sport sedan range consisting of the compact 3 Series, midsize 5 Series and large 7 Series cars and the creation of its performance M division. Though the 3 Series could be had with four-cylinder power, it was the company's inline-6 engines that developed BMW's reputation for spirited, yet highly refined performance. At decade's end, the limited production, short-lived M1 supercar debuted.

Throughout the 1980s, BMW became the unofficial poster car of yuppies, as the brand ostensibly signified one's financial success as well as a passion for driving. The elegant 6 Series coupe debuted, and the latter part of the decade saw the high-performance M division working its magic on various production models.

In the early 1990s, BMW replaced the 6 Series with the powerful (V12-powered at first) but heavy 8 Series grand touring coupe. A bit later, BMW introduced its popular Z3 roadster. The company also opened its first U.S. manufacturing plant in the latter half of the 1990s.

The 2000s brought a midsize SUV (the X5) as well as a compact SUV (the X3) as BMW joined the hot-selling segment. Since then, BMW has replaced the Z3 with the Z4, introduced the compact 1 Series, produced hybrid versions of a few models and debuted the X6 fastback crossover. The company has also expanded its empire to include Mini and Rolls-Royce and continues to build motorcycles, something it has done since the 1920s.

BMW's famous advertising slogan describes each of its vehicles as "the ultimate driving machine," and it's not mere hyperbole. Over the past couple of decades, BMWs have become the standard for performance and luxury in most of the "over $30,000" segments. With family-friendly wagons, crisp sedans, distinctive coupes, nimble sports cars and spacious SUVs offered, BMW's model roster is diverse. But its vehicles all share a common characteristic: the ability to make drivers feel gloriously connected to the road.

User Reviews:

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  Bye Bye BMW - 2015 BMW 3-Series
  By Behzad - January 13 - 7:04 am

  how sad , when once you could by a premium , howling lovable Straight 6 for the money , and now what you get is a 4 cylinder sounding like a broken blender machine , and a lot of "Green" blah blah blah ! and when you complain about it , them start bragging about how fast and powerful and "Economical" it is , this isnt what a BMW (and more generally a sports car is all about) ,no amount of savage power is going to replace its "Soul" , that is now gone .

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  I3 the electrical failure - 2014 BMW i3
  By Enrique Llanso - December 23 - 3:13 pm

  Has abundant of electrical issues. Especially with the drive train. The vehicle went to the shop for over four times within a 50 day span and has yet to be resolved. My I3 is a LEMON.

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  Worse BMW Ive ever owned - 2006 BMW 3-Series
  By Randy - December 15 - 2:57 pm

  I have owned 4 BMW and was pretty pleased by all. 3 including this one was bought new. This model is horrible. Have to remove bumper to replace a headlight. Awkward to reach power window controls unless you have 5 arms. Electronics is a nightmare! Leaks water rear foot, and has never been in accident. Paint flaked off roof rails. Worse of all is the quality of the interior trim. It is made of WHITE cheap plastic that is painted interior color. Every time you scratch anything that is painted, Door panels, steering wheel etc., the cheap white plastic shows through. Should have been molded in SOLID color plastic. Also ALL 4 door handles have been sticking since 50,000 miles. Horrible craftsmanship and design. CHEAP, CHEAP, CHAEAP. Will never own another.

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  Worst Car I ever had - 2008 BMW 7-Series
  By Sam - December 9 - 6:18 pm

  I would never buy this piece of Junk. It is just a waste of money. Too many issues. I purchased a 5 year old CPO 750i. A few months later I found out that it has original air filters installed, the dealer did not even bother to check the basics. I filed a complain, both written and by phone. I wasted so many hours but no results. The customer rep says that the dealer is not answering them, what a BS.

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  Never Again - 2008 BMW X3
  By Mackenzie - December 9 - 8:07 am

  I just got my 2008 BMW X3 a few months ago back in April. I bought it off a used lot and as I drove away, the engine light came on. Ive taken it in multiple times and Ive had everything from my radio just suddenly not wanting to work to my car cutting off in the middle of a busy intersection. This car has almost gotten me in many accidents with its poor driving performance. I actually had it in the shop for a week during Thanksgiving and as soon as I got it back it broke down and left me stranded the day after. I got it back to the repair place and it magically had 10+ new issues. We have spent well over 3k in the past few weeks on this vehicle. I would absolutely never suggest this car to anyone especially as their first car unless you want to constantly have your car in the shop and 0 money in your wallet. I will never purchase a BMW ever again. They say to get rid of a BMW once it hits 85,000 miles... I should have listened. Oh, and not to mention its HORRIBLE gas mileage. I fill up every week and it costs around 50 bucks every time. Its ridiculous.

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  Worst Car Ive Ever Owned - 2009 BMW 5-Series
  By John Brennan - November 17 - 4:23 pm

  At 58,000 miles this BMW began failing on nearly every other drive. Even when I was selling it, it broke down on two consecutive test drives. The repairs were nearly $3,000.00 just for those two repairs. Its a fun enough car when its running correctly but, given the performance of far more economical cars, I would never consider another BMW. I also have to comment on the tires: if you think this AWD car is going to perform in snow, youll be disappointed. Theres not enough tread depth in the low profile tires. Youll need dedicated snow tires if you drive in snow regularly. All in all, it was a bad experience. The car is overpriced. The dealership service department tries to gouge you (politely, of course) and the car is completely unreliable. I would never consider another one.

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  What a waste of money!!!! - 2011 BMW 7-Series
  By K Rasheed, M.D - November 16 - 1:59 pm

  Please do not spend any big dollars and buy BMW. I have this car and it has been to dealership five times in matter of just three years. Car stopped while I was driving!!! they had to change fuel injectors and then it happened again after few months. Then the back up camera did not work!!! The fuel injectors started to make clicking noise and they said it was normal. !! I have just 27000 miles and it is four years which is not much for any car. So please take my advice and think and do more research before you spend huge amount of money on this car.

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  My only spoiled child treated me like a bad parent - 2007 BMW 3-Series
  By Marlene M - November 16 - 2:39 am

  I special ordered a 2007 BMW 328i coupe in 9/06. I did the BMW destination pickup in NC. Went through a 3.5 hour delivery and 4 hours of BMW driving school learning all features. ABS, traction control, etc. I know my car inside out. I ordered the 328i over the 335i because, I wanted to put the extra money into the inside. Believe me the 328i is fast enough unless you are going to race on a track. I put $11,900 of packages and options on this car because, I wanted to keep it forever. I love my car I even put Active Steering which makes it a baby 6 series. It is Space Grey with Red interior. I wanted heated seats and being from the south that was not an option unless you were in the northern region at the time. They got it for me. I wrote a check with taxes and fees for $49,451. I have changed the oil every 6K miles instead of 15K as suggested. I have 71,181 miles which is an average little over $8000 miles a year since I took delivery in 11/06. This car stayed in the shop with electrical issues for the first 2 years. I drove their loner cars more than I drove my car. I ran out of time on my warranty before miles so, I bought their expensive extended warranty and used it twice. I think I was about 1K up on that $3200 and ran out of time before miles again. Please do not let your battery go dead. No one told me that. Then modules go out and it cost me over $1500 for a battery and the modules that blew. Let me say this that I have a good aftermarket BMW repair shop that I found that is honest and is about two thirds or less of the BMW dealership cost after my warrant was gone. Once your battery goes dead you get a steering wheel lock. It will count down how many times you can start the engine then you are locked out of starting your car. BMW will not let the dealership reset this error but, you have to get the steering column replaced. Thank GOD again I found a good honest aftermarket repair shop. This car is a money pit. There is something every other month now. I could be paying payments on an S Class Mercedes for the repairs now. I went to trade it in on an Infiniti which, the same dealership has a BMW dealership and got an estimate of $5,500 trade. I told them I would burn it in front of the BMW dealership before I would take that for it. The Louis Vuitton purse I had on my arm cost more than that at the time. It makes me sick that I have treated this car like a only child and been treated like a bad parent. The only thing I can say so far, knock on wood, I have not had any problem with the engine and it will run like a scaled dog. Yes, I have had it around 140 on the interstate. In sport mode it will out run cars that it would surprise you. My poor child will have to go to some bone yard somewhere. I just refuse to pay payments on a car paid for in full. Everything that goes wrong should be a recall on MOST BMWs. What happen to them. I thought it was the Ultimate Driving Machine. I guess it is as long as it is running! Should I had bought that Mercedes CLK coupe instead? I also will never buy the first new module year car coming out. You have to let them get the bugs out the first year.

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  unreliable POS - 2007 BMW 5-Series
  By terry - November 8 - 5:19 pm

  if you want an unreliable car this is for you. Timing chain snaps at 97k. Six months later stranded again cause the steering lock mechanism failed. Gotta tow that pos again. Ive only been stranded twice in the last 17 years. Both times BMW, Im going back to Japanese reliability and will never buy or recommend BMW.

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  Worse Vehicle Ever! - 2005 BMW X3
  By Carey Goin - November 6 - 11:21 pm

  Rides rough, lots and lots of repairs. I have had the moon roof repaired 2 times over 9k, new brakes, lots of electronic problems, water pump, radiator, heck the whole car has had problems. I only have 100k miles on the car. It has cost me a fortune.